Playing with our dog is one of the most rewarding activities to strengthen your bond, have a good time together and entertain the animal. Among the favorite pastimes of all dogs, playing toss the ball stands out as the most popular.
Although it predominates more in certain breeds, as a general rule all dogs have the innate instinct to pick up what we throw at them at full speed and return it to us. Of course, with the hope that we will launch it again and have a fun time like this. It is a perfect dynamic to entertain the animal, stimulate it mentally and get it to do physical exercise. In addition, it strengthens the relationship between human and pet, as well as your perception as a reference guide for the furry.
However, what many tutors are unaware of is that not just any ball is suitable for playing with your dog. Tennis balls are very common in these cases, since they are resistant, bounce a lot and usually have a suitable size for the animal. But the truth is that they are not very good for your best four-legged friend.
Thomi is an expert in dog training who is dedicated to disseminating content about the care and education of dogs through social networks. Specifically, he accumulates 2.6 million followers on his TikTok profile. Among the many videos of him, we find one where he reveals that tennis balls are not recommended for playing with dogs.
The reason is that the furry yellow fiberglass carpet that covers the tennis balls and also paddle tennis balls is very abrasive for the animal's teeth. Consequently, as a result of the dog repeatedly biting them, they file and erode their teeth, leaving them with square endings instead of sharp points. If the use of tennis balls is frequent, this erosion could reach the nerve of the animal's tooth with "dramatic consequences", in the words of the trainer.
Instead of tennis or paddle balls, the most suitable for playing with dogs are rubber balls. Now, we have to make sure they are the right size. If they are too big, a small dog will not be able to catch them and can get hurt. And, even more dangerous, if they are too small, large dogs could swallow them and choke on them.
